Where Art Thou, Oboe?

The title for this blog is actually so accurate because I probably haven't touched my oboe in two weeks... Which is why I have been avoiding writing this blog. School actually sucks and it seems as if all my free time (besides Easter break where i watched 24 hours of House he he) is absorbed in schoolwork or studying for the Chem AP. And even though I do love the oboe, I love getting a higher GPA more than that. But, I have been listening to some pretty good oboe players, and they inspire me to learn more :') I will now insert some videos of the oboe playing because I just think it's the prettiest instrument in the world.

This first one is actually a song I'm currently playing in band, but I thought the oboe part was so pretty I had to put it in here :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVpRhP8PkqE the oboe solo starts around 1:40-1:56 

The second one one is a solo performed by Marcel Tabuteau (my mentor's favorite oboist in the world) in the Philadelphia Orchestra. He starts playing a part of his solo around 3:45

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0-RTSr_8AI

And lastly, the third one is actually my quintet performing, but there's an oboe in it so you all can see that. I thought since I wasn't playing the oboe for the past few weeks, I thought it would be fun to show you all what I have been working on :) Sorry if this recording isn't very good though, it's after districts (a few months ago) with only about 4 rehearsals. Trust me, we sound much better now. We're also performing this quintet at the Michigan Youth Arts Festival if any of you want to come and see us play (because I know you do). Sorry if the recording is sorta long, i tried to shorten it because it was originally 7 minutes, but you can just skip around and find the cool parts. And when we actually play for the MYAF, i'll be sure to upload a video! :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiNRURF_IcI

Oboe-ing it up

So I feel as if I should write this blog...but to be honest todaysmeet has captured my attention for the time being.
ANYWAY
Another successful week of playing the oboe has passed! I finished the beginner book that my band teacher has given to me and I will be traveling to a music store on Saturday to see if I can get a new book to further my oboe skillz. Before playing the oboe it seemed fairly hard, but after a while I realized that it's not that hard and that I'm actually pretty good at it (if you get past the squeaky noises when I play high notes). Some of my favorite songs I played out of my fifth grade level book were "Joy to the World" and "There's a Hole in My Bucket". "There's a Hole in My Bucket" is actually the best song in the world and you should all go search it on youtube if you've never heard it before.

Realizing that I'm actually pretty good at the oboe has given me more hope for my future performance as well. Now that I know my song won't have to be restricted to 10 notes anymore, I can play a lot of beginner songs that sound more complex. I was told by my friend that a lot of the baroque pieces for oboe are fairly easy, so I may be able to play a baroque piece for my performance :)

Okay well I'm going to peace out now, but I'll keep you friends updated on what I'm doing next and maybe post a video soon.
-Julia